Elliott Sadler stormed to victory Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Nationwide Series' Aaron's 312, fending off his challengers after a late-race restart at Talladega Superspeedway.

The win was Sadler's 10th in the series, first of the season and first on the 2.66-mile track. He led nine times for 40 laps in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota and was just 0.125 seconds ahead of runner-up Chris Buescher in a characteristically close-quarters finish that has become the track's trademark.

"We just got on the inside line there and we just had to make some good moves," Sadler said. "The sea kind of opened up for us. This means a lot to me to be able to get these guys to Victory Lane. To do it at Talladega -- everybody always asks me about flipping at Talladega. Now we won one at Talladega so it feels a lot better."

Penalty Sends Truex Jr. to Rear of the FieldMartin Truex Jr.'s qualifying effort Saturday went from bad to worse.

The Furniture Row Racing driver posted the 38th fastest qualifying speed at Talladega Superspeedway. A short time after qualifying, Truex's No. 78 Chevrolet was penalized by NASCAR for failing to meet the necessary height requirement. The penalty will result in Truex taking a provisional starting position at the rear of the field for Sunday's Aaron's 499.

"After positing the fastest practice speed yesterday, today's result and infraction were disappointing to say the least," said Truex. "That's the bad news. The good news is that we have a fast car for tomorrow's race, and as we have said many times, qualifying really doesn't mean that much here."

Marquez grabs pole in sunny JerezMarc Marquez will be on pole for Sunday’s MotoGP™ race at the Gran Premio bwin de España, with Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa joining him on the front row.

On his 100th Grand Prix weekend Marquez produced a superb late 1’38.120 lap to smash the pole record at Jerez, qualifying 0.421s ahead of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Lorenzo and 0.510s in front of his Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa. For full Jerez MotoGP Q2 results click here.

Heading the second row after an intriguing Q2 run in the southern Spanish heat is the most successful rider on the grid at Jerez, with Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi (+0.737) qualifying fourth at the track where he boasts six premier class victories.

Hornish, who is making his first Nationwide Series start of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing, posted his sixth career Coors Light Pole in the Nationwide Series.

Hornish topped the final round of qualifying with a lap of 186.783 mph. Hornish will be joined on the front row by his JGR teammate Elliott Sadler. In fact, JGR took the top three spots in the lineup for the Aaron's 312 -- Darrell Wallace Jr. will start third.

At the 4.574 kilometers long Hockenheim Baden-Württemberg, Lucas Auer (kfzteile24 Mucke Motorsport) celebrated his first victory of the season in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. Starting from pole position, the 19-year-old Austrian took the lead and went on to win after 22 laps from Edward Jones (Carlin) and Jordan King (Carlin). Lotus F1 junior driver Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam), who dropped back from third to ninth place due to a technical problem on the final lap, remains points’ leader in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.

The race started with plenty of action: on the opening lap already, Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing) and Nicholas Latifi (Prema Powerteam) collided at the hairpin and retired. Only a few meters later, the following collision involved Michele Beretta (Eurointernational), Gustavo Menezes (Van Amersfoort Racing) and Alexander Toril (ThreeBond with T-Sport); Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) already retired on the opening lap. The clerk of the course sent out the safety car for one lap.

Speaking to Sportscar365, Head of Audi Motorsport, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich confirmed the GT car spotted testing at Monza last week has been built to what they believe to be the new GT+/GT rules, which could begin as early as 2016.

"The car that we’ve developed is on the base of the regulations that we know from the FIA that should be the base for the future,” Ullrich told Sportscar365. "It’s one of the pre-development cars for the next GT3 car."

First-year Indy 500 drivers aim to hit speed marksOne particular tip about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during Arie Luyendyk’s first year attempting to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 has remained cogent for almost three decades.

“We had only a little bit of insight from some guys,” the two-time Indy 500 winner said. “Mario (Andretti) said don’t rush into anything because the track will bite you before you know it. It says a lot in a few words. You have to have a methodical approach about the place.”

On May 5, drivers seeking to compete in the 98th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will participate in the formal Rookie Orientation Program, which is designed to provide the first-year competitors an opportunity to get acquainted with their cars and the racetrack through three speed phases set by INDYCAR -- 10 laps at 200-205 mph, 15 laps at 205-210 mph and 15 laps at 210-plus mph.

GM starts construction on new race engine facility outside DetroitGeneral Motors has begun work on a brand-new facility that will be home to development of race engines for its teams in NASCAR, IndyCar, the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, and other series.

The new GM Performance and Racing Center, which will be situated in Pontiac, Michigan and is scheduled to be fully completed in 2016, will also house a new electric motor laboratory and gear center.

“The GM Performance and Racing Center will serve as a resource to help our race teams and drivers continue to win races and championships,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, in a statement.

Formula E heralds a 'new era' of racing in Punta del EsteJorge Tomassi, the President of the Automobile Club of Uruguay (A.C.U), believes Formula E will create a ‘new era’ of motorsport in the country.

Speaking at the official welcoming of the FIA Formula E Championship to Punta del Este, Tomassi together with the CEO of Formula E Alejandro Agag, greeted 280 guests ahead of the city’s first electric race on December 13 2014.

Held at the A.C.U headquarters in Montevideo, the Mayor of Punta del Este Martin Laventure discussed the sustainability benefits of Formula E including the single-day format and plans to ensure minimum levels of disruption with previous experience of hosting TC2000 touring car events. xxxx

Having started talks to bring Formula E to Uruguay more than a year ago, Mayor Laventure said the city has been working hard to see a race around the ‘Monte-Carlo of South America’.

Punta del Este joins a list of nine other cities to be announced for the inaugural season and one of two races taking place in South America. Formula E is a new FIA Championship using electric single-seater cars capable of speeds in excess of 225km/h. Beginning this September, the series will compete in the heart of 10 of the world's leading cities with 10 teams, each with two drivers, going head-to-head to create a unique and exciting racing series designed to appeal to a new generation of motorsport fans.

The circuit layout for the Punta del Este ePrix is currently being finalized with the confirmed route expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks, although the track will remain subject to FIA track homologation.

Apparently, even at age 82, "Big Daddy" Don Garlits never gets tired of breaking records. The drag racing icon added another record to a long list of achievements April 30 when his newest machine, Swamp Rat 37, set the new quarter-mile record for an electric vehicle with a pass of 7.258 seconds at 184.01 mph, eclipsing the old records 7.95 and 156.00 mph.

Unlike the nitro-burning engines that powered so many of Garlits’ earlier Swamp Rats, Swamp Rat 37 gets its juice from a 1500-amp array of lithium polymer batteries built by High Tech Systems LLC. The batteries reportedly are capable of developing the equivalent of 2,000 horsepower, which should be more than enough to push Garlits and the car to his intended goal of more than 200 mph, the same speed barrier that Garlits first broke in a front-engine Top Fueler in 1964.

Nigel Stepney 1958 - 2014, dies in car accident (Update)UPDATE The 56-year-old was hit by a truck at 1.28 am this morning after stopping his van on the hard shoulder of the M20 motorway at Ashford.

A spokesman for Kent Police said: "For reasons yet to be established, the man appears to have entered the carriageway and was then in collision with an articulated goods vehicle. He was pronounced deceased at the scene."

05/02/14 Nigel Stepney, the former Ferrari mechanic at the heart of the 2007 "spy-gate" scandal, has died in a road accident, aged 56.

Stepney was sentenced in Italy to 20 months in prison after being found guilty of sabotage, industrial espionage and sporting fraud.

Mercedes looks to make F1 more of a borefest than it already isAlthough Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been in a class of their own in 2014 - winning all four races - their bosses are adamant that the team cannot be comfortable with its form.

And ahead of a Spanish GP where every team will bring upgrades, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says that just staying ahead of the opposition will not be good enough.

"Our aim must be to increase the advantage we enjoyed at the last race in China," said Wolff.

"We have seen already that our rivals are relentless in their efforts to close the gap (What BS, the gap has widened).

Prototype points battle is ‘on’ as TUDOR Championship heads to California coastAn early-season Chevrolet versus Ford points battle is heating up in the headlining Prototype (P) class as the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Series heads to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend, for the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda.

A seven-point gap separates the first- and third-place Corvette DPs of Action Express Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing. Nestled in between in second place, just five points back, is Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ford EcoBoost Riley DP.

Sanctioning body IMSA is making a balance of performance adjustment ahead of Sunday’s race for the P class. The Chevrolet-powered DPs will run with a one-millimeter smaller restrictor plate while Ford-powered DPs will use a 0.9-millimeter smaller plate. The Fords are also getting a small reduction in turbo boost.

Mitch Daniels joins Hulman BoardMitchell E. Daniels Jr., president of Purdue University and the former Governor of Indiana, has joined the Hulman & Company Board of Directors.

"We're honored that Mitch has agreed to serve with us during this period of renewed focus on economic development and infrastructure improvement. We are positioned for growth in our business units like no time in our history, and Mitch's business acumen and understanding of the heritage of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are tremendous assets," said board member Andre Lacy.

New Sprint Cup Qualifying Format Makes Highly Anticipated DebutSaturday at Talladega Superspeedway promises to be a knockout. The forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, ideal weather to watch all the fast-paced action on the 2.66-mile trioval. And there will be plenty of action to see. In addition to races in both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, Saturday marks the Talladega Superspeedway debut of the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying format in which drivers will hit the track in packs rather than one at a time.

Under this new format – dubbed “knockout qualifying” – all 47 cars that are entered in Sunday’s running of the Aaron’s 499 will be on the track for the initial qualifying run, ensuring plenty of the same type of thrilling pack racing that fans have grown accustomed to at Talladega Superspeedway on race day. The fastest 24 cars during the first session will advance to the second round, then the 12 quickest in that session will move on to the final round. The driver who posts the fastest lap during the final session will win the pole position for the Aaron’s 499.

In the weather gamble at Spa, the crowd got to see a thrilling qualifying session for round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). On a drying track, the best teams opted for a second driver change, in addition to the one driver change prescribed by the regulations.

On a wet track, some drivers started qualifying on intermediate tires. When the second driver took over from their teammates some cars with slicks. Drivers were able to complete their respective mandatory timed laps this way. However, as the times had improved by about five seconds on the drying track, the teams decided to let the first two drivers, respectively, take the wheel again. This choice gave the teams a possibility to improve the average time set by both drivers per car on two new, faster laps. This average determines the grid positions.

Bruton Smith Hints At $100M Upgrade For Charlotte Track, May Ask State For Funds

Bruton Smith.

SMI Chair & CEO Bruton Smith on Thursday told North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory that he wants to spend $100M to "improve Charlotte Motor Speedway, and then appeared to suggest he might ask the state for financial assistance," according to Steve Harrison of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER.

Smith was speaking with McCrory at a proclamation to name May as “Motorsports Month." He said to McCrory, "While you are here, I want to find some time to talk to you. We want to spend $100 million here to improve our situation. I would certainly want to have you say, ‘That’s a good thing.’" He added, "Downtown Charlotte is spending $88 million on something that was built a few years ago. Well, I built this place in 1960. That was awhile back. Do you want me to come and see you and talk to you, or do you want to do it right here."

Investigator says Bernie's blackmail claims like vanilla puddingA German investigator cast doubt on the credibility of Bernie Ecclestone's assertion he was blackmailed into making a $44 million payment to a Munich banker, telling the Formula One boss' trial on Friday the claim was "very vague."

Investigator Martin Bauer, who questioned Ecclestone for the case against the banker who accepted the alleged bribe, said Ecclestone was never able to give concrete details to back up his blackmail claim.

"It was all very vague," Bauer told the Munich state court, the dpa news agency reported. "Like a vanilla pudding that you can't nail to the wall."

Nationwide Signs Three-Year Deal To Become A Primary Sponsor On Dale Jr.'s No. 88Nationwide Insurance has signed a multiyear sponsorship agreement to become a primary sponsor of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 car for 12 races beginning next year. The three-year deal, which increases to 13 races in '16 and '17, closes out all of the open inventory on Earnhardt’s car. It is valued at more than $10M a year.

Nationwide Insurance has endorsed Earnhardt since '09 and has featured him in national advertising campaigns during the last five years. The deal with Hendrick Motorsports allows the Columbus-based company to continue to use Earnhardt in advertising while also being featured on his car in Sprint Cup races for the next three years. It is unclear whether Nationwide Insurance will continue to sponsor Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 17 car driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Nationwide Insurance could not be reached for comment; Hendrick Motorsports declined to comment.

Munoz Andretti team fined for Barber infractionINDYCAR officials have fined Andretti-HVM $2,000 for actions during the April 27 Verizon IndyCar Series race at Barber Motorsports Park.

Andretti-HVM, which fields the No. 34 Verizon IndyCar Series entry, driven by Carlos Munoz, was found to have violated Rule 7.10.1.7 (Pit personnel not wearing proper attire) and Rule 7.10.1.8 (More than six crew members over the wall) of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook.

The member may contest the imposition of the penalty pursuant to the procedures and timelines detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook.

O'Gara, 19, will drive for Fan Force United (FFU) through a partnership with SFHR's development program and support from Indy Trading Post and RW Motorsports. His car will be the No. 27 SFHRD/RW/Indy Trading Post/FFU entry.

Beech Grove, Indiana, native O'Gara is making his third career Indy Lights appearance. He drove last year in the Freedom 100 and the Lefty's Kids Club 100 at Auto Club Speedway at Fontana, California, where he placed eighth.

"I am very excited to get behind the wheel of a Lights car for the first time this season," O'Gara said. "The Freedom 100 is a race that means very much to me, and I am grateful for getting another opportunity to race in it.

Daytona Int'l Speedway's Quest For Tax Revenue Could Remain StalledThe bid for Daytona Int'l Speedway to claim Florida sales-tax revenue was delayed yesterday by "typical last-week jockeying in the state Senate and will likely be delayed" today, the session's last day. The course of events is "just like last year when it failed." Lawmakers yesterday "removed one attempt from a package of tax-cut legislation and a related bill got postponed (but later revived) because of 'mixed signals' from the House." Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL

Video: Remembering Ayrton Senna: The greatest qualifying lap in F1 historyAyrton Senna's qualifying lap during the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix is widely regarded as the best single lap in F1 history. Yesterday, 20 years to the day since Ayrton was killed in a fatal crash in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, the Official McLaren YouTube channel presented an epic portrayal of Senna's Monaco '88 qualifying lap to commemorate the life and career of a legend.

A career that spanned 161 races, and included 41 wins and 65 pole positions.

On May 4, stock car fans will be tuning in to watch the race at Talladega Superspeedway, Nascar’s biggest and fastest track. Too bad there probably won’t be enough of them. It’s no secret that Nascar racing has had plenty of trouble recently holding on to its audience on a weekly basis. The series suffers from both an aging fan base and the lasting effects of a deep economic recession.

Television ratings are unequivocally down in the last decade—not surprisingly, major media partners including ESPN and TNT decided to walk away from the sport. Stadium operators have even come to the realization that fans aren’t coming back, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to reduce seating capacity at the tracks.

Nine fans injured when a race car flew into a safety fence and sprayed debris in the grandstands at Daytona International Speedway last year have reached a settlement with the track. International Speedway Corp. will not release the amount of the settlement with the nine claimants represented by the Morgan & Morgan law firm, said Lenny Santiago, ISC senior director of public relations. Santiago declined to reveal details in the interest of the privacy of the fans involved.

"I can say that we have reached settlements with several claimants related to the incident, but, as has been our practice throughout, we are not going to discuss any of the details," Santiago said. At least 28 spectators were injured including 14 who were taken to local hospitals when Kyle Larson's car crashed into the fence and sprayed a tire and other debris into the grandstands during the Nationwide Series Drive4COPD 300 on Feb. 23, 2013.

Andrew Felix, an attorney with Morgan & Morgan, said the settlement covered all of the people represented by the personal injury firm, but he also declined to reveal the amount or any other details. Daytona Beach News Journal

It was just seven months ago that 22-year-old Jordan Taylor and his veteran Italian co-driver Max "The Ax" Angelelli powered their way to a dominating victory at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and set the stage for their 2013 driver championship-clinching effort, one race later.

Taylor and his 24-year-old brother Ricky Taylor make a triumphant return with the No. 10 Konica Minolta Chevrolet Corvette Dallara Daytona Prototype team for Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) this weekend with the hope of recreating that winning magic when they take to the 2.238-mile, 11-turn hillside road course during Sunday’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix.

Round four of the 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship is a two-hour affair featuring the newly unified series’ Prototype-class and GTLM-class competitors, as was the case three weekends ago when the Taylor brothers co-drove to a solid runner-up finish on the Grand Prix of Long Beach seaside street circuit, some 300 miles down the California coast.

Trevor Bayne Leads NASCAR Nationwide PracticeTALLADEGA, AL – Under bright sunny skies, NASCAR returned to the biggest and baddest race track on the planet Thursday. The Nationwide Series drivers took to the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway in preparation for Saturday’s Aaron's 312, part of an incredible lineup during the Aaron’s Dream Weekend which has a beautiful weather forecast – temperatures in the 70s and 80s with "0" percent chance of precipitation.

And, it was bright smiles at the front of the pack. A trio of Roush Fenway Ford drivers sent a message to the rest of the field that the Ford contingent would be favorites during the much anticipated three-round elimination "Knockout" Coors Light Pole Award Qualifying Friday. It will mark the first time at NASCAR’s palace of speed that multiple cars will be on the track - in race-mode, using drafting and strategy - in three hotly contested short races to determine the starting lineup for Saturday’s Aaron’s 312.

Adrian Sutil. Against the Mercedes team, the Sauber team does not have a chance in hell of winning the Spanish GP.

Hinwil - The Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, kicks off the European season at the Circuit de Catalunya and takes place from the 9th to 11th May. For the first time, after an eight-month break, the Sauber F1 Team trucks are going on a journey for the European season opener in Barcelona. As both C33s will be significantly improved, including an extensive weight reduction and a major aerodynamic update, the Sauber F1 Team drivers, Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil, are positive and looking forward to the race weekend. Test and reserve driver Giedo van der Garde will again be behind the wheel in FP1 on Friday. Esteban Gutierrez will take over the C33 in FP2.

After the Spanish Grand Prix, the second in-season test for the Sauber F1 Team will take place on the 13th and 14th of May at the Circuit de Catalunya. On the first day, Giedo van der Garde will be driving, while Esteban Gutierrez will be in the cockpit during the second test day.

Mercedes have led every lap and won every race so far this year. Hamilton and Rosberg will lead every lap and win in Barcelona.

Round Five of the 2014 Formula One World Championship brings us to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix, held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Driver / Senior Management Quotes

Lewis Hamilton It's been good to have a bit of a break between races: for us as drivers and also for the team who have been working flat out for so many weeks. But after three great weekends in Malaysia, Bahrain and China I'm obviously keen to get on to the next one and continue that positive momentum into the next leg of the season. Barcelona is a great place to have the first European round on the calendar. It's a circuit we all know very well - although this is the first time in my Formula One career that I have raced there without testing at the circuit during the winter - and the Spanish crowds are really passionate about their racing. It's great to see so many people in the grandstands over the weekend. I've never won in Barcelona but I'm in a good place right now and I'm hoping that this will be the year, although it's clear who the fans' favorite will be! The circuit is fantastic, our car has performed well so far and I'm really looking forward to a good race.

PROTON Holdings Berhad (“PROTON”) today announced the appointment of Jean-Marc Gales as the new Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus plc, effective 1 May 2014. Lotus is a wholly owned subsidiary of PROTON and a member of the DRB-HICOM Group.

Gales, a Luxembourgian, holds a MSc in Management from London's Imperial College, and a MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Karlsruhe in Germany.

A known industry player, Gales has held several significant positions with numerous global automotive manufacturers. Prior to his new appointment at Lotus, Gales was Chief Executive Officer of the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (“CLEPA”) since 2012, where he played a key role in turning around the association through various strategic initiatives, including streamlining the working processes and increasing corporate members from 82 to 112. Gales also established a lobbying strategy with the European Parliament and European Commission, and helped define the Industry Research & Innovation Strategy and Roadmap for 2025.

(GMM) Force India has added a major new sponsor to the sidepods of its 2014 car.

Last month, the Silverstone based team denied it is set to split with its title sponsor and co-owner Sahara, after the company's jailed chief Subrata Roy was jailed for failing to pay refunds to investors.

At the same time, the sidepods of the VJM07 were changed from orange to black, and the 'Sahara' branding was initially removed before returning in China.

Now, Force India has revealed it will replace the Sahara branding on the sidepods with the word 'Smirnoff', confirming a new sponsorship deal with the well-known vodka label.

F1 team split eases after London meeting(GMM) A meeting in London on Thursday eased the threat of a head-on collision between F1's big and small teams, according to reports.

Together with Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt, bosses of the 11 teams met at Ecclestone's facility at the Biggin Hill airport.

The meeting was called after the six most powerful teams - Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Lotus and Williams - vetoed Todt's plans to introduce a mandatory budget cap from 2015.

The remaining teams, F1's smallest and least successful outfits Sauber, Force India, Marussia and Caterham, hit back angrily with a letter to Todt alleging that the vetoing 'Strategy Group' may be a breach of Europe's competition laws.

V8 Supercars reviews penalty system to make the punishment fit the crimeThe V8 Supercars Commission has completed a comprehensive review of recommended penalties and made changes to determining the weight of penalties for breaches.

The Commission amended the table of penalties, removing the word "minimum" from its title. It is now a table of recommended penalties, meaning consideration to the consequences of a breach will be deliberated by the IO and stewards in determining any penalty.

The Commission considered each penalty with a view to ensuring the punishment fits the crime. The IO and stewards now have the scope to issue a lesser or more severe penalty than the recommended range, depending on the circumstances of the offence.

"Our stewards do a brilliant job - they are asked to make decisions within the confines which we set and should not be exposed to undue or unfair criticism for working within the parameters they are given," V8 Supercars General Manager of Motorsport Damien White said.

"The first outcome of the review was the fact the penalties table was titled with the word 'minimum', which meant stewards had no flexibility to apply a lesser penalty for particular breaches.

"We have now given a clear mandate to our own Investigating Officer and Driving Standards Observer (Jason Bargwanna), and to the CAMS Stewards that any penalty should be comparable with the offence.

"That means the extent to which a rule is breached may be considered in determining an adjustment (up or down) of the recommended penalties."

One notable change is pit lane speeding offences below 43 km/h between fixed timing loops at the start of pit lane will be investigated post-race by Bargwanna and not subject to an automatic pit lane penalty during a race.

Any speeding offences in pit lane registered on radar guns above 40 km/h will still incur an automatic pit lane penalty, as has been the case.

Another area of debate in the opening events on the 2014 season had been pit lane penalties applied as a performance advantage or a safety risk.

A performance advantage can result in a driver or point's penalty while a safety breach can result in a team penalty such as a fine, points or exclusion.

An example of these are a car controller assisting with minor work on the car and not paying attention to the safety of his crew. This may be determined a safety breach.

A car controller who assists by working directly on the car during a pit stop may be deemed a performance and safety breach.

"Exceptions to any variation, and this is where the pit lane speeding item was heavily discussed, may include rules which are in place for safety and/or are performance related," White explained.

"Safety is potentially compromised by speeding in pit lane, and most certainly is a performance advantage, no matter how small.

"That said, we don't want the fan experience ruined, hence we have introduced the provision for a post-race review on speeding breaches at pit entry that sit at the lower end."

The revised table of penalties will take effect as at the next V8 Supercars event, the Perth 400. The penalties table will be available to all teams and the public.

"We saw no reason why these penalties should not be made available and this has been clearly communicated with our teams," White said.

"Making the document available to teams and fans alike obviously provides a greater level of transparency. Taking away that element of surprise, particularly for our passionate fans, will provide for a greater acceptance and, for the teams, stability in the process of applying the rules."

Several other penalties have been brought into line to be consistent throughout the table of penalties document in a sport that hundredths of seconds separate the entire field.

The Martini brand returns to American sportscar racing for the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix, powered by Mazda, at Mazda Raceway this weekend when the iconic stripes will adorn the #8 Starworks Oreca FLM09 Prototype Challenge car in the new annual 2-hour event.

A Martini-sponsored Porsche 917 driven by Vic Elford (UK) and Gerard Larousse (Fra) won the Sebring 12 Hours in 1971. 43 years later Micro Schultis (Ger) and Renger van der Zande (Ned) will be hoping to return one of the most historic liveries in the history of motor sport to the top step of the podium at the Monterey debut, and third round, of the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship (TUSC).

Dale Jr. voted 1st Quarter winner of Driver of the Year AwardMiracles shall never cease. Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s strong start to the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship has earned him top honors for the First Quarter of the 2014 Driver of the Year award.

Earnhardt netted seven first-place votes and 88 points under the DOTY points system from a panel of American broadcasters and journalists.

Fellow Sprint Cup driver Kevin Harvick and Verizon IndyCar Series championship leader Will Power tied for second with 80 points, but Harvick had more first-place votes (five) than Power (three).

Rahal and Evernham enter cars for special Indy eventThe Celebration of Automobiles Vintage and Classic Car Show will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a fourth consecutive year on Saturday, May 10, with this year's edition featuring entries from racing luminaries Bobby Rahal and Ray Evernham.

Vintage car owners and automotive enthusiasts from around North America have flocked to IMS the last three years for the Celebration of Automobiles, which pays tribute to the rich heritage of automotive development at the track for more than 100 years. This year's Celebration of Automobiles will be held on the same day as the running of the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the newly reconfigured IMS road course. The Grand Prix of Indianapolis will be the first ever Verizon IndyCar Series road course race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

City Of Newton, Iowa, To Title Sponsor NASCAR Nationwide RaceIowa Speedway today announced that the City of Newton will serve as title sponsor of its May 18 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, which will be called the "Get to Know Newton 250 presented by Sherwin-Williams." The deal is part of the "Get to Know Newton" campaign recently launched by the track's hometown. Track President Jimmy Small said, "We consider this entitlement an investment in Newton and are excited to provide our community the opportunity to deliver its message in the national spotlight." NEWTONDAILYNEWS.com

[Editor's Note: NASCAR (France Family) now owns the Iowa track and all the support from the track owners and the city will be behind the NASCAR races at the track. IndyCar can soon kiss their Iowa race goodbye. They will kill it off like they have killed off every other IndyCar race at their tracks.]

Hoosier Tire named exclusive tire for NJ races in 2014Len Sammons Motorsports Productions is proud to announce that it is has signed a multi-year contract with Hoosier Tires to be the exclusive tire provider for the TQ Midgets during their Indoor Racing Series for the next three seasons.

“We are excited to partner with Hoosier Tires as the exclusive tire provider for our TQ Midgets,” stated series promoter Len Sammons. “I really feel this is a win, win deal for all our competitors. The rule will put everyone on a level playing field, eliminate supply issues and most importantly save the racers money."

As part of the agreement, all TQ Midget competitors will be required to run Hoosier Tires on all four corners starting with the second running of the Battle Of Trenton Indoor Race to be held December 19 and 20 at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, N.J and the 13th Annual Atlantic City Indoor Race to be held January 30 and 31 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ.

After further review: IMS Road Course will be racy for Grand Prix of Indianapolis

The backstraight

Reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan has been immersed in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course reconfiguration project since its inception seven months ago, and even maintains a Downtown Indianapolis apartment for his frequent visits.

But ahead of the Verizon IndyCar Series Open Test on April 30, he took up residence in the motorcoach lot inside the grand stadium in preparation for the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 8-10 and the 98th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 25.

"The good and bad part about sleeping at the track is that (Indianapolis Motor Speedway President) Doug (Boles) can call me at any time. Obviously, this place has always been very special to me, and I wanted to make sure I woke up May 1 inside the track," Kanaan said in providing a brief debrief May 1 of the test on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn circuit.

The vintage “Coyote Red” colored No. 41 Alfe Heat Treating Honda, piloted by rookie Martin Plowman, made its debut on a brand new road course as the Verizon IndyCar Series conducted its first test on the 2.439-mile infield circuit of the venerable Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The retro-look was the brainchild of graphic designer Jason LaFrenais and Alfe Heat Treating’s Motorsports Manager Ryan Westman, who said, “The first time that Alfe got involved with IndyCar racing, it was on a Coyote orange colored car in 2011. We thought that it looked great and it worked well for us because it is the color of our corporate identity,” said Westman.

British racing driver Pippa Mann is pleased to announce a partnership with Susan G. Komen, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, for this year’s Indianapolis 500, in a campaign to help raise funds and awareness throughout the month of May.

Every two minutes, one case of breast cancer is diagnosed in a woman in the US, which means over the next month, nearly 20,000 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the US. This May, Mann will be doing her part to join in the fight to help end this disease.

Many of today's modern racetracks have everything the average racing enthusiast is looking for including new concession choices, entertainment venues, new corporate suites and even active garage areas where fans can watch their favorite teams and drivers or grab an occasional autograph. What most racetracks don't typically offer, however, are dedicated buildings where active motorsports enthusiasts can pursue their dreams of driving and storing race vehicles, motorcycles and classic automobiles.

One of the world's most renowned circuits, Road America, plans to fill that void by being one of the few authentic racetracks to offer dedicated structures specifically designed by motorsports enthusiasts, for motorsports enthusiasts, who are looking for a truly unique way to fulfill their passion. The concept is appropriately called Thunder Village, and it will be nestled under the trees on the picturesque hillside overlooking Thunder Valley, which stretches between turn 12, affectionately known as Canada Corner, and turn 13.

After 5 laps new F1 great for insomniaCan't sleep? Just turn on the new F1 with horrible sounding engines, ugly cars and a runaway dominant team that has led every lap this year and will lead all the remaining laps (Mercedes) and it will be sure to put you right to sleep.

“As a driver you are so dependent on the car. Do you really think (Fernando) Alonso and (Sebastian) Vettel have forgotten how to drive? It’s just bad luck for everyone who is not in a Mercedes."And that’s not going to change much this year."

U.S. government says it lost $11.2 billion on GM bailoutThe U.S. government lost $11.2 billion on its bailout of General Motors, more than the $10.3 billion the Treasury Department estimated when it sold its remaining GM shares in December, according to a government report released on Wednesday.

The $11.2 billion loss includes a write-off in March of the government's remaining $826 million investment in "old" GM, the quarterly report by a Treasury watchdog said.

The U.S. government spent about $50 billion to bail out GM. As a result of the company's 2009 bankruptcy, the government's investment was converted to a 61 percent equity stake in automaker, plus preferred shares and a loan.

New crew chief for Team TascaTeam Tasca has given Mark Denner, co-crew chief since 2009, full responsibility for the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang Funny Car, effective immediately. Chris Cunningham, the team’s other co-crew chief, has been released.

“Chris has been with our team for more than six years and I wish him the best of luck,” said team owner/driver Bob Tasca III. “Recent results on the track, however, have shown that we need to take the team in a different direction.

Bridgestone to quit MotoGP at end of 2015MotoGP’s official tire supplier Bridgestone announced on Thursday it would withdraw from the sport at the end of the 2015 season.

The Japanese company, which first entered the championship dominated by bike makers Honda and Yamaha in 2002, said in a statement it had achieved its objectives of boosting technical ability and enhancing the brand globally.

Bridgestone became sole supplier for the top category of grand prix racing in 2009. Britain’s Dunlop provides tires for the Moto2 and Moto3 classes.

Count Jamie McMurray among the drivers who believe NASCAR went too far in fining Marcos Ambrose and Casey Mears for their fight after Saturday’s race at Richmond.

Ambrose was fined $25,000 for punching Mears, and Mears was fined $15,000 for instigating the incident by grabbing and shoving Ambrose in the garage.

McMurray believes NASCAR should have simply overlooked the incident and not taken action.

“Well, I hoped that NASCAR would just let that go,” McMurray said a national teleconference Wednesday. “They have preached to all of us that they want us to be who we are, and I think it's good that you have some characters in the sport.

Simpson Continues Push for Safety Around The WorldIt was 20 years ago that a safety revolution began in motorsports following the hellish weekend at the Imola circuit in Italy, where drivers Roland Ratzenberger and three-time world champion Ayrton Senna were killed in separate crashes.

The first fatal Formula 1 accidents in 186 Grand Prix races led to worldwide mourning and an intense focus on safety by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. The improved level of safety in motor racing is a fitting tribute to the two drivers who lost their lives.

One of many outcomes from the push for improved safety was the introduction of the HANS Device to F1, the first head restraint mandated in major international competition.

Can Montoya really come back and win the Indy 500 after driving taxicabs all those years?

Juan Pablo Montoya returns to the starting lineup of the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since winning the race in 2000, and although he has yet to win during the first three Verizon IndyCar Series races this season, the LVH SuperBook has posted him as a 6-to-1 co-favorite to win the 95th running of the event on May 25. Montoya's Penske teammate, and three-time Indy 500 winner, Helio Castroneves and Andretti Autosport's Marco Andretti are the other co-favorites.

The favorites aren't listed as such because it's who the book thinks will win, but rather a combination of public demand -- who they'll bet the most -- mixed in with skill and quality of car. The name Andretti is known by everyone, bettors have cashed with Castroneves three times in this race, and then there is Montoya. The Columbian is a true legend. He won at Monaco, Sonoma and Indy...who does that? His return to the race is a big deal and he will be one of the most wagered drivers at whatever odds posted.

On the twentieth anniversary of the great Brazilian's death in 1994, Montezemolo revealed that he met with Senna just days before the 34-year-old made the short but fateful journey to Imola for the San Marino grand prix.

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